Guide to Durham

If you're thinking about moving to Durham in North Carolina, then All My Sons Moving and Storage of Raleigh is "the" moving company to call. Our Raleigh movers will make sure that moving day goes smoothly with no hassles or complications. You won't have to lift a finger, all you'll need to do is direct us by letting us know where you want your belongings placed in your new home. All My Sons of Raleigh is backed by four generations of moving experience and has many satisfied customers to prove it. We're a professional company that's licensed and insured. We have deal directly with our customers and provide free estimates. There are no brokers to deal with and no nonsense. To see if Durham is the place for you, continue reading this informational article.

The city of Durham is the county seat and namesake of Durham County. The city exists almost entirely in Durham County, with outer-lying areas extended into Wake County. Durham is the 5th largest city in North Carolina, home to over 200,000 residents. The city is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area, with over 1.5 million residents. Located halfway between the Smoky Mountains and the Atlantic North Carolina beaches, Durham is located in the middle of the state and is known as the “City of Medicine” or the “Bull City”.

Durham's roots extend back to 1853, when the city grew as a railroad depot between Raleigh and Hillsborough. Dr. Bartlett S. Durham, a local physician, donated agricultural land so that Durham Station could be constructed. The city received its charter in 1869, and expanded rapidly after the Civil War, mostly due to the thriving tobacco industry. Both Union and Confederate soldiers had become attracted to the tobacco during the war. As a result, both Bull Durham Tobacco Company and Duke & Sons Tobacco Company became rapidly growing companies in the area. Following tobacco growth, textile mills became a secondary industry in the Durham area. In the 1930s, Durham saw a decline in population as textile mills closed and began moving out of the area, and the tobacco industry faced both increased competition and a decrease in smoking.

Durham has a significant Black community and Black-owned businesses, earning it the name of “Black Wall Street”. Durham is home to North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company and Mechanics & Farmers' Bank. The city has always had a Strong Civil Rights movement, primarily in the Hayti area south of town. Part of the Hayti district was demolished for the Durham Freeway in the 1960s, and lost much of its. architectural base. St. Joseph's Historical Foundation at Hayti Heritage Center was founded to “preserve the heritage of the old hayti community, and to promote the understanding of and appreciation for the African American experience and African Americans' contributions to world culture”.

Durham is known to be a highly-educated city, with Duke University and North Carolina Central University based in the city. 43% of residents over the age of 25 hold at least a bachelor's degree. The area is part of the Research Triangle Park area, with UNC Chapel Hill located 8 miles away and North Carolina State 25 miles away. Duke University, the largest employer in Durham, employs over 39,000 employees and has over 13,000 students in attendance. Duke was formerly called Trinity College, until a 1924 gift from James Buchanan Duke led to the renaming and the construction of a larger campus 2 miles west of downtown. Durham also is home to North Carolina Central University and Durham Technical Community College. In December 2007, Durham was the only city in North Carolina to be listed on the Forbes.com list for the “Top 20 Places to Educate Your Child.”

In the 1970s-80s, Durham again had development due to the construction of Research Triangle Park. As RTP developed, Durham became a hub for information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. There are more than 300 medical and health-related companies and medical practices that pay out over $1.5 billion in annual payroll. Research Triangle Park extends about 10 miles southeast of Durham and employs over 49,000 people.

In 1898, Bull Durham was the most famous trademark in the world, due to the fact that the city was the manufacturing hub for cigarettes. The trademark was later parlayed into a minor league baseball team. The Durham Bulls were the subject of the movie, Bull Durham, in 1988. A new downtown baseball stadium was built for the Durham Bulls in 1994. The stadium was designed by the designers of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, and has 10,000 seats, with annual attendance of half a million. The area has produced famous baseball players, including - Roger Lee Craig, Rick Ferrell, Brian Roberts, and Josh Whitesell.

The Durham Association for Downtown Arts (DADA), was incorporated in 2000, with a “commitment to the development, presentation and fiscal sponsorship of original art and performance in Durham”. The Durham Performing Arts Center, the Carolina Theater, Nasher Museum of Arts and the Museum of Life and Sciences are located downtown Durham. The downtown Durham area has over 300 restaurants, hosts 40 annual festivals, and has more than 5.2 million annual visitors. The dining districts are located on 9th Street, Brightleaf, University Drive, and the American Tobacco District.

Downtown Durham Inc. (DDI) was formed in 1993 to assist in downtown revitalization. DDI promotes five areas of concentration: economic development, parking, appearance, safety, and promotion. The group is a 501(c) 6 organization, that works hand in hand with Renaissance Downtown Durham, Inc. (ReDDI), 501 (c)3 organization. Renaissance Downtown Durham works toward historic preservation, revitalization and development. Housing in Durham ranges from historic homes and lofts downtown to country horse farms and suburban development outside of the city.

Although most Durham residents travel by private vehicle, the Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) - connects to Raleigh and Chapel Hill. In addition, the area has access to Raleigh-Durham International Airport and to an Amtrak station with daily service to Charlotte and Raleigh.